Measles Eliminated from the Americas – The highly infectious disease – measles, which is marked by flat red spots that can cover the body – has been eliminated from the Americas after decades of wide-spread vaccination.

Monsanto Buys Rights to CRISPR – Monsanto is taking genetically engineered crops to the next level, buying a license from the Broad Institute of Harvard University and MIT to use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology.

Efficient Long-Term Cryopreservation of Pluripotent Stem Cells at −80 °C – Researchers report that a medium comprised of Ficoll 70 and dimethyl sulfoxide in presence or absence of fetal bovine serum can provide reliable cryopreservation of various kinds of human and porcine pluripotent stem cells at −80 °C for periods that extend up to at least one year, with the post-thaw viability, plating efficiency, and full retention of pluripotent phenotype comparable to that achieved with liquid nitrogen storage.